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Bruce Boudreau

Buffalo Sabres To Interview Rick Tocchet, Bruce Boudreau

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The Buffalo Sabres need to get this one right. Since firing Lindy Ruff in 2013, the team has gone through six different head coaches and now must find another leader for their bench. Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, and Ralph Krueger have all come and gone, with Don Granato being the latest interim bench boss. Granato is being considered in the search for a new head coach, but all indications are that GM Kevyn Adams will search far and wide before making a decision. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports today that Rick Tocchet and Bruce Boudreau have interviews lined up with the team.

Tocchet has also been linked to the Seattle Kraken and New York Rangers positions, following his departure from the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month. The team and coach decided to part ways after his contract came to an end, allowing him to pursue other opportunities elsewhere. It appears as though Tocchet is in high demand, at least at the interview stage, and that he will be able to secure a position somewhere before next season begins.

Boudreau is a bit of a different story, given that he didn’t coach at all this season after being fired by the Minnesota Wild last year. The 66-year-old has one of the highest winning percentages in league history with a .635 career record and won the Jack Adams Award in 2008 as the NHL’s best coach, but Boudreau has classically been unable to find any success in the postseason. Perhaps the Sabres don’t need to be picky when it comes to regular season versus playoff success at this point, but Boudreau’s name has not seemed as in-demand as it once was.

LeBrun also notes that the Sabres coaching search will include interviews with members of the college ranks and that there is no rush to fill the position. Though there are several college coaches that could be up for NHL opportunities, Nate Leaman is the one that is most often brought up. The Providence College bench boss has been a top coaching prospect for several years and recently took the U.S. Word Junior squad to a gold medal. Leaman is currently in Latvia with the World Championship team, serving as an assistant.

Bruce Boudreau Expresses Interest In Seattle’s Head Coach Vacancy

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It should be assumed that any free agent head coach with NHL experience will have interest in taking over the reigns of the league’s newest team next season. The Seattle Kraken have yet to name their inaugural head coach, but the team has surely begun the process of vetting candidates. However, there have been no potential names made public, at least until now. Long-time NHL coach Bruce Boudreau has officially thrown his hat in the ring, telling The Athletic’s Ryan Clark that he is “extremely interested” in the position:

The thing about that job is it would be great to start with a team that is starting fresh and to be the builder of something. I think that is a real exciting thing… It is not like an expansion team in 1967. You knew then you were not going to be very good or have the dregs of every team. The way they have gone about it now, Seattle is going to start off with a pretty good team.

Who knows if the call will ever come? I don’t want to get the call and say I am not ready and I don’t know what I would do and I don’t want to feel that way. This is the only thing I have ever known my whole life… If someone offers you a job, it is an amazing thing.

As Boudreau notes, he has not formally contacted Seattle yet, nor has anyone formally reached out to him. GM Ron Francis has previously stated that the club will not rush to name a head coach and by all accounts have not interviewed any candidates to this point. However, the odds are that Boudreau has at least had some contact with the team. The veteran coach has previously worked with Kraken owner Tod Leiweke, as well as other members of the front office. He also stands out as one of the top available names and is likely a seriously candidate for the position, even if only being discussed behind closed doors.

Boudreau, 66, was most recently in the NHL just last season, fired mid-season by the Minnesota Wild in his fourth year with the franchise. Boudreau has more than a decade of experience as an NHL head coach, previously leading the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks as well. Prior to that, he coached for many years and found great success in the minors. Among his career accolades are a Jack Adams Award, a number of NHL playoff appearances, and championships in the AHL and ECHL. If the Kraken decide to go for the most experienced candidate as their inaugural head coach, few can rival Boudreau.

Snapshots: Johnson, Boudreau, Hall

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The Pittsburgh Penguins were upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the qualification round, meaning they didn’t qualify for the regular 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs. That’s the first time since 2006, meaning it was easy to understand why GM Jim Rutherford wants to make some changes. What might be less easy to understand is Rutherford’s continued defense of Jack Johnson, which continued today in a piece by Josh Yohe of The Athletic.

Here’s my summary of this situation. Maybe Jack Johnson isn’t as good as I think he is. Maybe. But he’s not as bad as all of the anti-Jack Johnson people think he is. I’ll tell you what he is: He’s a solid, third-pairing defenseman if he’s playing with the right guy. He’s a player that I happen to really like and I think he’s a better player than a lot of people want to give him credit for.

Johnson has never had strong analytics behind his play, but through the first part of his career, produced consistent offensive numbers in bigger minutes. Rutherford and the Penguins signed him to a five-year, $16.25MM deal in 2018 that still has three seasons remaining. If changes are coming, it doesn’t currently look like Johnson is one, though Rutherford has been known to reconsider early-offseason comments before.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have an assistant coach opening beside Sheldon Keefe after Paul McFarland returned to the OHL to take over head coaching and GM duties of the Kingston Frontenacs. Speculation immediately went to former Maple Leafs player Bruce Boudreau, who is looking for work after being fired by the Minnesota Wild this season. Boudreau has long been a candidate to join the Maple Leafs given his ties to and support of the organization, and now James Mirtle of The Athletic reports that the team asked Minnesota for permission to speak with him over the last few months. Boudreau, understandably, is looking for another head coaching opportunity before considering an assistant job, but is “intrigued by the idea” according to Mirtle.
  • The Arizona Coyotes were outscored 14-2 by the Colorado Avalanche in their final two games of the postseason and now have plenty of work to do this offseason. Not only do they have Steve Sullivan quickly taking the reins as GM after the departure of John Chayka, but have a huge decision to make on the future of Taylor Hall. The 28-year-old forward is a pending free agent, and Craig Button of TSN doesn’t believe the Coyotes should even entertain re-signing him. Button explains that the Coyotes don’t have the supporting cast to justify signing Hall to an expensive, long-term contract—though he then suggests that Hall should be looking for a one-year deal with a contender to rebuild his value.

Snapshots: Boudreau, Pilut, Ducks, Graber

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While former Minnesota head coach Bruce Boudreau was planning on his coaching stint with the Wild being his last, he’s still hoping to coach again, notes Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required).  As things stand, there isn’t a real vacancy in the league as several interim coaches remain at the helm (including in New Jersey despite their being a search ongoing, one that Boudreau is not a part of) so the 65-year-old may have to wait for a little while yet for another opportunity to come up.  He sits 22nd on the NHL’s All-Time wins list with 587 while his regular season points percentage (.635) puts him fifth among coaches with at least 200 games of NHL coaching experience.  For a team that’s looking to turn things around quickly, Boudreau should garner some consideration as other vacancies become available.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Lawrence Pilut surprised many when he opted to sign a two-year deal in the KHL over re-signing with the Sabres. It turns out the main issue wasn’t his role with the team but rather the money as Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports that the team wasn’t willing to offer him a one-way contract until after the deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk was agreed upon.  Pilut only played 13 games with Buffalo this season after suiting up 33 times with the big club during his rookie campaign which is likely why their preference was to give him another two-way pact.  Buffalo will retain his NHL rights by tendering him a qualifying offer this offseason.
  • The Ducks announced that they have signed a multi-year affiliation with Tulsa of the ECHL. The term of the deal was not disclosed.  Anaheim has been without an affiliate at that level for the last two seasons.  Meanwhile, the move means that the Blues, who had previously been affiliated with Tulsa, will be looking for a new partner for next season.
  • The Capitals have signed Will Graber to a minor league contract, their AHL affiliate in Hershey announced.  The 24-year-old recently wrapped up what was a strong career at Dartmouth and ranged between 25 and 27 points in each of his final three seasons with the team.  While his primary position is on defense, he did spend time up front with the Big Green as well and if he’s able to do that successfully in the pros, his value will certainly go up.

New Jersey Devils Trim Head Coach Search To Four

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The New Jersey Devils got off to another disappointingly slow start in 2019-20. After missing the playoffs in three of their first four seasons under head coach John Hynes, the team decided not to continue a fifth campaign with their bench boss. Hynes was fired on December 3rd with the Devils 9-13-4 on the season, a points percentage of .423. Assistant Alaine Nasreddine took over as head coach and the team did improve over the rest of the season, finishing with a .493 points percentage and just one win shy of a .500 record. However, the question is whether that improvement of .07 percentage points is enough for Nasreddine to keep his job. Or will the Devils focus more on their last-place finish in the Metropolitan Division and look elsewhere for a new head coach?

According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Nasreddine is at least still in the mix for the position. Although New Jersey is facing down a very long off-season as one of the seven teams not to qualify for the expanded postseason (ironically Hynes’ Nashville Predators qualified), they are moving quickly in their coaching search. LeBrun reports that the Devils have spoken with eight to ten candidates for the position, but have whittled it down to just four finalists, one of which is Nasreddine. Who the remaining three names might be is unknown, but Gerard Gallant was one of the first to interview and has to be considered a front-runner given his recent success with the Vegas Golden Knights. Other big names available on the coaching market include Peter Laviolette, Mike Babcock, Bruce Boudreau, John Stevens, and Mike Yeo.

Potentially complicating the hiring process could be the status of the GM position. Tom Fitzgerald, like Nasreddine, is another assistant who was promoted but handed an interim tag this season. He has done an admirable job thus far, but his status remains in limbo. The team has reported talked to some outside candidates, including former Canucks GM Mike Gillis, and may be waiting to make a call on head coach until they know who is leading the organization as GM. However, they have plenty of time ahead of them to make these decisions, even though they appear to be making progress on their hunt for a head coach.

Five Key Stories: 02/10/20 – 02/16/20

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Can you really pick just five? In a news cycle in which superstar Erik Karlsson being ruled out for the season doesn’t even crack the top ten headlines, here are the five most important stories (admittedly with some other notes sprinkled in) of the week that was:

Bouwmeester Suffers Cardiac Incident: The hockey world stood still on Tuesday night, after the game between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks was suspended under very scary circumstances. Veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester suffered a “cardiac event” while on the bench during the first period of the contest, collapsing onto the ground. Bouwmeester required resuscitation by the teams’ training staffs to re-start his heart before he was rushed to the hospital. While awaiting word on his condition, there was an outpouring of support from teams and players in all corners of the hockey world for the well-respected veteran. Fortunately, the team issued a statement that Bouwmeester was in stable condition, followed by a report on Friday that he had undergone successful heart surgery. While questions remain about Bouwmeester’s availability to the reigning Stanley Cup champs this season, as well as the future of the impending free agent’s career, the focus will be on rest and rehabilitation for a while still to come.

Minnesota Fires Boudreau: In 13 seasons as an NHL head coach, Bruce Boudreau has only missed the playoffs twice and those seasons occurred seven years apart. However, one of those seasons was 2018-19 and things were not looking good for a return to the postseason in Minnesota this year. New GM Bill Guerin opted to cut ties with his veteran coach on Friday before he could miss consecutive postseasons for the first time in his career. Assistant Dean Evason was named the interim replacement, while Boudreau will begin looking for a new home – a process that historically has not taken him very long.

Elsewhere in the division, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice received the opposite treatment, despite similar struggles this season. Already one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NHL, Maurice received a three-year contract extension from the Jets.

Penguins Acquire Zucker: Firing Boudreau was not the only major shake-up in Minnesota this week. Long-time Wild star Jason Zucker was finally traded on Monday after more than a year of speculation, even through front office changes. In the end, he winds up with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the same team that nearly acquired him this summer for Phil Kessel. Former Pittsburgh executive Bill Guerin made good on his major trade as Minnesota GM, landing a 2020 first-round pick, top prospect defenseman Calen Addison, and a capable forward and potential extension candidate in Alex Galchenyuk. Meanwhile, the Penguins add the forward they have been seeking – especially in light of Jake Guentzel’s season-ending injury – in Zucker, a veteran with the speed and skill to keep up with Sidney Crosby and three more years remaining on his contract at a reasonable rate. Zucker scored two goals in just his second game with the Penguins on Friday.

Devils Deal Two Key Players: The trades kept rolling on Sunday with the New Jersey Devils as the center of attention. Another new GM, Tom Fitzgerald, is making good on his promise to maximize the return on tradable assets from the rebuilding club. In two separate deals, the Devils added a first-round pick and second-round pick in 2020, promising forward prospect Nolan Foote, and minor leaguer David Quenneville. Of course, it came at a cost, as long-time captain Andy Greene was dealt to the rival New York Islanders and fan-favorite forward Blake Coleman was moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, with such strong returns and pieces like Sami Vatanen, Wayne Simmonds, and more expected to go as well, this is the beginning of potentially franchise-altering deadline for New Jersey.

Oilers Extend Nurse: The Edmonton Oilers needed some good news this week, with superstar Connor McDavid out two-to-three weeks with an injury and fellow forward Zack Kassian suspended for seven games. They got it with news of a contract extension for young defenseman Darnell Nurse. Nurse, 25, signed a two-year, $11.2MM deal prior to restricted free agency and a potential arbitration battle this summer. The new AAV for Nurse represents a sizeable salary bump, but for good reason, as he has established himself as a dependable top-pair defender and a point-producer. While the relationship between Nurse and the Oilers was once a concern, it now seems to be in good order, with expectations already that the two sides will negotiate a more long-term extension after next season.

Wild Fire Bruce Boudreau

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It has been a disappointing season in Minnesota with one big change already being made when Jason Zucker was traded to Pittsburgh.  Another big change has come with the team announcing that head coach Bruce Boudreau has been relieved of his duties.  They also announced that assistant coach Dean Evason is taking over on an interim basis.

The Wild currently sit in a tie for fifth place in the Central Division with Nashville and are three points out of the final Wild Card spot in the ultra-tight Western Conference.  If they fail to make the playoffs, it’ll be the second straight year that they miss after six straight appearances from 2012-13 through 2017-18.

Boudreau was in his fourth season with the team with Minnesota playing to a 158-110-35 record under his guidance.  That’s the twelfth-best points percentage in the league since 2016 when he took over.  The Wild made the playoffs in the first two seasons but lost in the first round both times.  The timing of the change comes after Minnesota blew a 3-1 lead against the Rangers on Thursday night but the Wild are still 6-3-1 in their last ten games.

Boudreau’s contractual situation is also worth noting.  As Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic notes (Twitter link), Boudreau was in the final year of his deal as head coach with two more years left on his contract after that in a consulting role.  From Guerin’s point of view, once he fully decided that Boudreau wouldn’t be kept on as coach following the season, making the move now makes sense even if it comes just ten days before the trade deadline.

Boudreau has twice been fired but hasn’t stayed on the market for long.  It took just two days from him to go from Washington to Anaheim in 2011-12 and only a week to do from the Ducks to the Wild in 2016 although that move came after the season.  Considering the frequency of coaching changes this season – this is number eight – it’s certainly possible that his time on the market could be short-lived once again.

As for Evason, this will be his first head coaching job at the NHL level.  He’s in his second year behind the bench as an assistant with Minnesota but before that, he spent six seasons as the bench boss with AHL Milwaukee.  TSN’s Darren Dreger notes (Twitter link) that the job is expected to be his for the remainder of the season with a permanent hire to come in the offseason.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Boudreau’s firing.  Michael Russo of The Athletic first reported Evason’s promotion.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Walker, Rantanen, Tuch, Zucker

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It isn’t hard to think of who the Los Angeles Kings’ best defenseman is — Drew Doughty. It’s an automatic response. However, that may not have been the case through 15 games this season. The Athletic’s Jordan Samuels-Thomas (subscription required) writes that Sean Walker has been the unsung hero on defense for a Kings’ team that has struggled this year.

The 5-foot-11, 194-pound blueliner has been the top performer in most statistical categories for the Kings’ this year. He ranks second among defensemen with six points, but is tops in 5×5 play in Corsi-for per/60 and Corsi-for percentage, while he is also third among Kings’ defensemen in expected goals per/60, while also showing off strong offense and possession numbers.

While Walker doesn’t have the immense talent that Doughty had, he has been a bright spot on the Kings’ current roster.

  • Las Vegas Review Journal’s David Schoen reports that Vegas Golden Knights forward Alex Tuch had a setback Friday after sustaining an upper-body injury last week. The original hope was for Tuch to meet up with the team on their road trip, but with just two days remaining on that trip, it doesn’t look like Tuch will be meeting up with the team. “I was hoping he was going to come in for this trip. He’s not coming in. There’s nothing that changed with his injury,” said head coach Gerard Gallant. Tuch has appeared in just two games for the Golden Knights this season.
  • Adrian Dater of ColoradoHockeyNow reports that Colorado Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen’s status remains vague. Rantanen has been working out on his own, but has yet to skate on the ice as of yet. The forward was injured on Oct. 21, suffering a lower-body injury, but head coach Jared Bednar said he had no idea when Rantanen might get back on the ice.
  • Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker got the point after the first period Thursday night when head coach Bruce Boudreau benched him for a large amount of time in the final 40 minutes of play after the winger struggled defensively that allowed the San Jose Sharks to get out to an early lead. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required), Zucker only played two shifts in the second period and five in the third, playing in a season-low 10:09. “We talk about it all the time. We show him all the time,” Boudreau said about Zucker’s defensive struggles. “He’s gotta be committed to doing it all the time, not just when you feel like it.”

Central Notes: Heinola, Boudreau, Comeau

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Earlier in the week, the Jets assigned defenseman Ville Heinola to Manitoba of the AHL.  While the official stance was that the move was designed to get him some more ice time, it’s certainly notable that he’s only two games shy of the ten required to officially burn the first year of his entry-level deal.  The demotion gives the 18-year-old the opportunity to trigger his European Assignment Clause but he told Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun that he’s undecided about whether or not to do so and will be discussing the situation with his agent.  An opportunity to go back home for likely more money than his $70K AHL salary would certainly be enticing but the Moose play the same system as the Jets so from a longer-term development standpoint, sticking around in the AHL may be the better play.

Elsewhere in the Central Division:

  • While Bruce Boudreau still has two years left on his contract after this one, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic mentions (subscription required) that both of those years are as a consultant and that this is the final season of his deal as a head coach. With the Wild off to a sluggish start to their season and likely facing an eventual rebuild situation, that could present a viable situation for both sides to have a fresh start after the season although if the team turns it around, an extension (likely a short-term one) would also be feasible for new GM Bill Guerin.
  • The Stars are expected to get winger Blake Comeau back in the near future. Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News notes that the veteran could return tonight against Montreal or if not then, he’d be probable to play on Tuesday.  Comeau has been out since suffering a lower-body back in the season opener against Boston and would be a welcome addition to their bottom-six group which has struggled to produce so far this season.

Scratch Notes: Seabrook, Gusev, Fiala

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The Chicago Blackhawks are sitting one of their franchise icons in the press box again tonight, as Brent Seabrook waits his turn to get back into the lineup. That obviously isn’t what the 34-year old was hoping for at this point in his career, and he made it clear to Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports that he believes he can still play:

I don’t think I need rest. I think I feel great, I’m 34, you guys seem to want to write articles about my age and my speed. I feel like I still got a lot to offer in this league and still be a good player for somebody.

The most interesting part of the Seabrook quote may be the very last word, as he didn’t specify the Blackhawks. There has been a contingent of Chicago fans hoping to get rid of Seabrook’s hefty contract for years now, but it still remains one of the toughest deals to make in the league. While the quote might suggest that he’d be willing to waive his no-movement clause in order to get back on the ice, Seabrook carries a $6.875MM cap hit through the 2023-24 season, something no team wants to take on.

  • The New Jersey Devils will be sitting Nikita Gusev in the press box tomorrow night when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gusev will get a chance to sit with Devils legend Patrik Elias for the game and pick his brain, something head coach John Hynes hopes will help down the road. Gusev has four points through his first nine NHL games, but has recently seen his minutes drastically reduced.
  • Kevin Fiala will be a healthy scratch for the Minnesota Wild once again tonight, with head coach Bruce Boudreau telling reporters including Michael Russo of The Athletic “we expect more” from the talented forward. Fiala has played in just seven games this season and has a lone assist, after being acquired from the Nashville Predators by former GM Paul Fenton. The 23-year old signed a new two-year, $6MM contract in September but has yet to show that high-end offensive skill that made him such an attractive trade target.

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